Paper short abstract:

The paper explores how Danish people articulate understandings of their own body by way of contemplating cadaveric donation for science education or transplantation

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores how Danish people articulate understandings of their own body by way of contemplating cadaveric donation for science education or transplantation. The paper is based on fieldwork in Denmark and, in particular, on interviews with 33 Danes. Some had decided to bequeath their body to science, some had registered as organ donors, some had done both and some were still undecided or had decided against cadaveric donation. Interviewing people with these varying stances gave us an opportunity to explore how the possibility of cadaveric donation intervenes in the lives of the living. Talking to people about their donation choice thus serves as an opportunity to articulate their vision of a good death as well as what they believe happens after death, and most importantly explore how these visions of death and afterlife draw on different repertoires; biomedical, religious and secular and articulate different relationships between body and person.